Lake Natoma needs help

Lake Natoma needs help

I have been watching with concern as the invasive weed milfoil has spread through Lake Natoma and hoping the state would recognize the danger this growth presents to residents who fish, swim, row and sail on the lake.

I spent a recent morning with members of the Sacramento State Aquatic Center dragging the weeds out of the lake with pitchforks. We loaded the weeds into wheelbarrows and dumped them into a parking lot.

There is a machine designed to remove weeds, but county and state agencies have not approved its use on the lake. Lake Natoma is a world-class rowing and recreation venue. The state of California should protect it.

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Hire lifeguards to save lives

Re “Drowning victim from India visited river for the first time” (Page 3A, Oct. 13): Reading about the many drownings this summer on the American River makes one wonder why the county hasn’t hired professional lifeguards to monitor beaches where the most drownings occur.

Along the coast, every county has professional lifeguard services of some kind. Why don’t we? It’s a simple solution to a serious and tragic problem.

Gregory P. Vinci, Carmichael

Light-rail cars are disgusting

Re “Want more transit? Duh. Try soap, water” (Editorials, Oct. 8): Your suggestion that cleaning the light-rail stations will attract more riders misses the mark. Have you actually been inside a light-rail car lately? They are filthy.

The floors are caked with crud. Most of the seats haven’t been replaced in years and are crusted with God knows what.

Between the seats and the walls, spaces are filled with the petrified food detritus and stuff I would never want to touch even with gloves. The windows are scratched and hazy from years of abuse.

Stepping from a clean station into a light-rail car is like stepping out of a new passenger car into the county landfill.

I remember because I had returned from a stay in Minneapolis, where regional transit is phenomenal. In Sacramento, a bus driver questioned my age for the discount price, and I produced my California driver’s license. That was unacceptable; I needed an RT photo ID. The driver grudgingly and rudely allowed me to stay on the bus.

Yes, there are poor pedestrians. Drive carefully.

Vada Russell, Sacramento

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